...an award-nominated Irish blog on Irish history and Irish politics-from today and yesterday:all 32 Counties !Updated a number of times each week . (Mirror site here)

" A wealth of information..."

"1169 And Counting is a wealth of information on our Republican past and present , and demonstrates how the Irish political landscape , like that of any nation, will never be a black and white issue..."

IRISH BLOG AWARDS 2017 - ooops! It seems that our entry application was "not completed in time to be considered.." (?) and, as such, we are not now in the running. But we wish all the best to the successful entrants and to the organisers, and we hope all goes well for them on the day!

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

Ernie O'Malley, pictured during his arrest in Dublin Castle in 1921 . He was using the alias 'Bernard Stewart' .

ERNIE O'MALLEY : SOLDIER OF OGLAIGH na hEIREANN ....... Following the recent publication of O'Malley's third book 'Raids And Rallies', on the Tan War years 1920-1921 , Frances-Mary Blake , who edited the book and his earlier works , writes an appreciation of the man who wrote 'On Another Man's Wound' and 'The Singing Flame'.From 'IRIS' magazine , July 1983.

While in exile in America , Ernie O' Malley's diaries showed support for the republican prisoners in the Free State , of whom he wrote - " ...who are there for the very same reason that the men we read of and revere were imprisoned . " Back in Ireland , at a meeting in 1939 of the Irish Academy of Letters, he voted in favour of Peadar O' Donnell's motion that a concert be organised to support dependants of IRA prisoners - not surprisingly the motion was rejected .

His was the drama and sacrifice of a really doctrinaire republican - a very brave man , at once ruthless and sensitive , whose contrasting traits of character are well revealed in his autobiographical writings . He was very nearly killed in November 1922 when Free State troops besieged his headquarters - ensuring ill health that affected the rest of his life and very likely resulted in his comparatively early death , aged 57 .

AN OUTLINE HISTORY OF THE RUC . RUC brutality , torture , murder and lies were brushed aside as the unionist establishment congratulated itself for the continuing existence of a paramilitary force which had maintained and safe-guarded its rule in the Occupied Six Counties of Ireland....... From 'IRIS' magazine , July/August 1982.

The black history of the RUC is shrouded in a cloak of lies and false platitudes : although it was founded in June 1922 , its roots , nonetheless , and its political nature , can be firmly traced back to the force which was established to maintain British rule in Ireland before partition .

The 'Royal Irish Constabulary'(RIC) as it was known , effectively acted as the strong-arm of the landlords and the mill and factory owners , carrying out evictions against tenants who defaulted on 'rent' payments - if those who had been evicted decided to squat on the land (as they often did , because they had nowhere else to go) the RIC and/or the Auxiliaries would attack them again for doing so . If a 'street' or village attempted to defend their neighbour from eviction , the same State thugs would move-in to break-up what they considered the 'strike action'.......(MORE LATER).

OPERATIONAL COMMENTS OF A BRITISH ARMY OFFICER....... British Lieutenant-Colonel Michael Dewar of the Royal Green Jackets has served in Cyprus , Borneo and Malaya , as well as in the Occupied Six Irish Counties . He has written three previous books - 'Internal Security Weapons And Equipment Of The World' and 'Brushfire Wars'. The extracts reproduced here are from 'The British Army In Northern Ireland' , which was published by 'Arms and Armour Press' in 1985 . The underlined comments in this article are ours . This article reflects the operational thinking of a British military commander , more so than his political or ideological outlook. From 'IRIS' magazine , October 1987.

A search of the house in which Volunteers John Quinn and Raymond McCreesh were caught in revealed an Armalite and a Garand with 150 and 119 rounds respectively - the latter was damaged and could only be reloaded with difficulty . Meanwhile , the Scout and the Puma helicopters returned to Bessbrook to lift in a second platoon and , as they were arriving , the British Army Company Commander in his Gazelle helicopter spotted a man moving across the fields from the vicinity of House 'A' towards House ' D' .

He did not see him go in , but still ordered the Puma to land its men from the new platoon just to the south of House ' D' . The British troops were told to search the house , its outhouses and the surrounding area : nothing was found . The Scout helicopter remained airborne with a reserve of four men in it - it was now 11.30pm and dark . The BA Company Commander continued to direct operations from his Gazelle 'copter , using its 'Nightsun', and that of the Scout 'chopper , to illuminate the ground . 'Nightsun' is a lightweight highpower searchlight , originally developed in the USA for use on helicopters , and is capable of providing 50 x bright moonlight at 1,100 yards for a 110 yards diameter beam .

'Nightsun' can also be equipped with a special infra-red filter so that at night a person being observed will not know that a beam is being directed in his or her direction.......(MORE LATER).

Sunday, April 06, 2008

AN GORTA MÓR.

"An Englishman applauds and assists insurrection in countries where they profess to have for their object the freedom of the individual or of the nation; he imprisons and stifles it at home, where the motive is precisely similar, and the cause, in the eyes of the insurgents at least, incomparably more valid...."

" You have heard, no doubt, of wholesale evictions; they are of frequent occurrence in Ireland—sometimes from political motives, because the poor man will not vote with his landlord; sometimes from religious motives, because the poor man will not worship God according to his landlord's conscience; sometimes from selfish motives, because his landlord wishes to enlarge his domain, or to graze more cattle. The motive does not matter much to the poor victim. He is flung out upon the roadside; if he is very poor, he may die there, or he may go to the workhouse, but he must not be taken in, even for a time, by any other family on the estate. The Irish Celt, with his warm heart and generous impulses, would, at all risks to himself, take in the poor outcasts, and share his poverty with them; but the landlord could not allow this. The commission of one evil deed necessitates the commission of another. An Irish gentleman, who has no personal interest in land, and is therefore able to look calmly on the question, has been at the pains to collect instances of this tyranny, in his Plea for the Celtic Race. I shall only mention one as a sample. In the year 1851, on an estate which was at the time supposed to be one of the most fairly treated in Ireland , the agent of the property had given public notice to the tenantry that expulsion from their farms would be the penalty inflicted on them, if they harboured any one not resident on the estate. The penalty was enforced against a widow, for giving food and shelter to a destitute grandson of twelve years old. The child's mother at one time held a little dwelling, from which she was expelled; his father was dead. He found a refuge with his grandmother, who was ejected from her farm for harbouring the poor boy...." (From here.)

It is from the likes of the above that republicanism was born : not to seek ‘revenge’ , but to obtain Justice. That same quest for true justice continues to this day and will continue - for as long as necessary - until the root cause of the injustice is removed .Please help us, if you can : we are a small but significant organisation , as politically determined as we always were but we need your help...Go raibh maith agat!Sharon.